Deaths near 6m as virus enters 3rd year, Saudi lifts restrictions

BANGKOK: The official global death toll from COVID-19 is on the verge of eclipsing 6 million — underscoring that the pandemic, now in its third year, is far from over.

The milestone is the latest tragic reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people are shedding masks, travel is resuming and businesses are reopening around the globe. The death toll, compiled by Johns Hopkins University, stood at 5,996,882 as of Sunday morning and was expected to pass the 6 million mark later in the day.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Ministry of Interior has announced that the COVID-19 countermeasures have been lited effective from March 5, 2022.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), a ministry official said that the decision was made based on developments in the epidemiological situation of the virus, the competent health authorities’ feedback, the progress that has been achieved in combatting the pandemic, the unlimited support of the leadership, the effective national efforts from all sides, the progress in the national vaccination programme and the high rates of immunisation and immunity achieved across the community.

According to the statement, Saudi Arabia will be suspending social distancing measures in the Grand Makkah Mosque, the Prophet’s Mosque, mosques, while continuing to abide by wearing masks inside these facilities, as well as liting social distancing measures in all open and closed places, activities, and events.

The official went on to explain that people will not be required to wear masks in open areas, however, wearing masks is still mandatory in closed places.

Moreover, passengers arriving in the Kingdom will no longer be required to present PCR test or rapid antigen test results, while those arriving in the Kingdom on visit visas are required to have medical insurance to cover any incurred COVID-19 treatment costs during their stay in the Kingdom.

Institutional and home quarantine measures for passengers arriving in the Kingdom have also been lited.

The ministry also lited the suspension on direct arrival to the Kingdom, and the suspension of all flights arriving in and departing from the Kingdom from/to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Malawi, Mauritius, Zambia, Madagascar, Angola, Seychelles, Comoros, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan.

The official stressed the importance of the implementation of the national immunisation plan, which includes taking the booster dose, and implementing procedures to verify the health status on the Tawakkalna app to enter facilities and events and board planes and public transportation, adding that these new measures are subject to continuous evaluation by the competent health authorities in the Kingdom, in line with developments in the epidemiological situation.

Remote Pacific islands, whose isolation had protected them for more than two years, are just now grappling with their first outbreaks and deaths, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant.

Hong Kong, which is seeing deaths soar, is testing its entire population of 7.5 million three times this month as it clings to mainland China’s “ZERO-COVID” strategy.

As death rates remain high in Poland, Hungary, Romania and other Eastern European countries, the region has seen more than 1 million refugees arrive from war-torn Ukraine, a country with poor vaccination coverage and high rates of cases and deaths.

And despite its wealth and vaccine availability, the United States is nearing 1 million reported deaths on its own.

Death rates worldwide are still highest among people unvaccinated against the virus, said Tikki Pang, a visiting professor at the National

University of Singapore’s medical school and cochair of the Asia Pacific Immunization Coalition.

“This is a disease of the unvaccinated - look what is happening in Hong Kong right now, the health system is being overwhelmed,” said Pang, the former director of research policy and cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“The large majority of the deaths and the severe cases are in the unvaccinated, vulnerable segment of the population.”

It took the world seven months to record its first million deaths from the virus ater the pandemic began in early 2020. Four months later another million people had died, and 1 million have died every three months since, until the death toll hit 5 million at the end of October.

Now it has reached 6 million - more than the populations of Berlin and Brussels combined, or the entire state of Maryland.

But despite the enormity of the figure, the world undoubtedly hit its 6 millionth death some time ago. Poor record-keeping and testing in many parts of the world has led to an undercount in coronavirus deaths, in addition to excess deaths related to the pandemic but not from actual COVID-19 infections, like people who died from preventable causes but could not receive treatment because hospitals were full.